Following the holiday reporting gap, COVID hospitalization numbers spike well into Stage 5, climbing more steeply than any of the three prior pandemic waves, and both positive testing percentages and new case counts are spiking as well. Pfizer boosters are approved for ages 12-15, and Jester King Brewery has a treat for folks over 21 seeking shots this weekend. COVID home tests, still hard to find in Austin, may be more readily available in outlying and suburban areas. Texas State University delays the resuming of in-person classes. Texas and Austin are criticized in a new Netflix mockumentary from the producers of Black Mirror. Fraudulent QR codes have been popping up on downtown Austin parking meters - don't fall for it. And not one but two more cold fronts are inbound for the Austin area by Sunday.
